K is for Kidney
by Avirra
Summary: More than incidents at a fire can take a fireman down.


**K is for Kidney**

The first thing that drew Captain Stanley's attention was the number of trips Mike was making to the bathroom after lights out. Not that he tended to count the number of times his men heeded the 'call of nature', but Mike's bunk was near his and one constant had always been that once Mike was asleep, Mike stayed asleep until tones sounded or time for lights on.

One night? He didn't think much of it. Two nights in a row? He called Mike to the side to talk about it quietly.

"Are you feeling alright? Seemed like you couldn't get comfortable last night."

Mike gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Cap. I didn't mean to be making anyone else lose sleep. I'm guessing I've just eaten something that disagreed with me is all. I mean, Chet's done the cooking the last two nights, so that's a real possibility."

Chuckling at that, Stanley leaned back against his desk.

"You've got to admit he's getting better but he does need to work on the spices some more. Sure that's all there is to it?"

"I don't see what else it could be. I just had my checkup last month."

"Alright, but if anything gets worse, check in with John or Roy. Speaking of which, Roy has the chef duties today, so that may clear everything up."

Mike smiled at that and headed off to do his morning chores on Big Red. He had a twinge about an hour later, but it came and went so quickly that he didn't think anything of it. Another twinge came and went about an hour later, but the tones went off, driving all thoughts of the short pain from his head.

The run was relatively uncomplicated. Everyone had gotten out before the firefighters had arrived, so Johnny and Roy were helping out with the fire itself. Once it was out was when the real complication happened.

Mike was disconnecting the hoses when a pain hit him like someone stabbing him in the gut - not that he'd ever been stabbed there, but it felt like he would have imagined it would. At Mike's gasp, Captain Stanley was headed to his side immediately, yelling as he went.

"John! Roy! Bring your gear - something's wrong with Mike!"

Johnny put in the call to Rampart while Roy helped Mike ease to the ground. After taking his temperature and blood pressure, Roy had Mike list off his symptoms. When Stanley mentioned the frequent trips to the bathroom, Mike reluctantly added that to the list.

As Doctor Early listened to the symptoms, he was fairly sure what the problem was and advised them to bring Mike in immediately since he was in pain. Since an ambulance wasn't necessary, Captain Stanley had Johnny and Roy drive Mike to Rampart in their squad with strict orders to keep him informed.

The pain got worse on the way to the hospital. Roy stayed in the squad with Mike as Johnny darted inside the emergency room entrance, calling for a gurney and Doctor Early. It seemed longer to Mike, but in reality, he was in a treatment room being examined only a couple of minutes after their arrival.

Johnny was pacing in the waiting area, then noticed his partner looking thoughtful.

"Do you think you know what's wrong with Mike?"

"I can only guess, Johnny, but the more I think about it, the more it sounds like what my mother says she went through when she had a kidney stone. She told me that she'd rather give birth than go through that pain again."

"They hurt that bad? I mean - Mike was in agony by the time we got him on the gurney."

"it must. My mom's been through a few rough times and even had to have hip surgery, so when she tells me the most painful thing she's ever experienced was a kidney stone? I believe her."

The door had opened and Early came in near the end of what Roy was saying.

"Roy's right. Both about the pain a kidney stone can cause and that it's what's wrong with Stoker. I've got him on fluids and pain medication. There's a chance that after the pain medication gets him relaxed that his body might be able to pass it on his own. If not, we'll have to look into other options. Better call your Captain though. Stoker's not going to be in any shape to work for probably the next 48 hours."

"Can we see him?"

"Sure. I would warn you that he might not be too chatty, but we are talking about Stoker here."

"Johnny? You head on in and check on Mike. The guys should be back at the station, so I'll go give Cap a call and catch him on what's going on."

Considering what Stanley had said about Mike not getting any sleep the night before, it didn't really surprise Johnny to find that Mike was asleep for the combination of the medication and exhaustion. He remained in the room until Roy opened the door and motioned him out.

"We need to get back to the station. Cap's calling in a replacement to cover the rest of Mike's rotation."

They were halfway through the shift the next day when Early called them with good news. Between the medication and extra fluids, Mike has passed the stone that was troubling him without the need for surgical intervention. They were all relieved, but none so much as Mike himself. By the time the next rotation started, Mike was back with them, seeming none the worse for wear. Captain Stanley went over and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome back. Everything alright now, pal?"

"Everything's good. Doctor Early recommended I try and drink more fluids and eat less salt to avoid getting another stone. That's nothing I want to ever experience again."

The tones sounded then and they all went into well-practiced action. All personal concerns were pushed to the side once more as they headed out for another call.


End file.
